MS · Healthcare shortage profile
Smith County, MS
Peak severity leads this reading: Smith County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 14,209.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 14,209
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 44.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Smith County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Smith County, MS on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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Peak HPSA score 21.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Smith County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 9.6 mental health, 1.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Smith County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Smith County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Smith County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
7 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Smith County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Smith County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 20 of 82. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 28129. Population: 14,209.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Smith County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Express Care Taylorsville | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI-Smith County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Express Care Taylorsville | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Smith County | dental | 18.0 |
| Express Care Taylorsville | dental | 17.0 |
| Mental Health Catchment Area 10 | mental_health | 16.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Smith County
Peak severity leads this reading: Smith County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Smith County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 21.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 44.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Smith County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Smith County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 20 of 82. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Smith County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Smith County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Smith County's active designations: about 13 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Smith County, MS · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on Smith County's designations
Smith County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Smith County's 6 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of MS before you draw conclusions from a single score. MS overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Smith County's 21.0. Open Brazoria County, TX or Forsyth County, GA next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Smith County's primary score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “EXPRESS CARE TAYLORSVILLE”).
Brazoria County, TX
21.0 primary score · 372,031 pop.
Forsyth County, GA
21.0 primary score · 251,283 pop.
Sumner County, TN
21.0 primary score · 196,281 pop.
Maricopa County, AZ
21.0 primary score · 4,420,568 pop.
Hillsborough County, FL
21.0 primary score · 1,459,762 pop.
Kern County, CA
21.0 primary score · 909,235 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Smith County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Smith County carries an MUA designation (index 44.5; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Smith County's peak score of 21.0?
- "EXPRESS CARE TAYLORSVILLE" leads the active set (score 21.0; primary care; 54,263 people in the service area; designated 08/04/2022). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Smith County's severity reading?
- After "EXPRESS CARE TAYLORSVILLE", the next active names on this release are "EXPRESS CARE TAYLORSVILLE", "LI-Smith County", "EXPRESS CARE TAYLORSVILLE" and "LI - Smith County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Smith County's high-severity geography?
- Smith County's 6 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "EXPRESS CARE TAYLORSVILLE".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 28129. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 28129 (Smith County, MS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.